Stranger in a strange land - birth certificates, talk me through them, please!

I'm not a native Brit, but will be having my first baby here. Can you tell me the procedure for obtaining the birth certificate? Do I just take the details to our council's register and they issue the BC at the appointment? Or do I need to get something from the hospital?

If you are having your baby in hospital they will tell you what to do - you will probably have to go to your local council. Normally you have a few weeks (6?) to register the baby's birth.The information is taken by the registrar and then the certificate is sent out a few weeks later.

Also, you have a choice of getting the full birth certificate or the summarised version - get both - you will need the full certificate for passport applications etc.

They give you a form with all the information on it, and the numbers of the registrars offices. You make an appointment, go along (if you are married, then only you need go, if unmarried you both need to go).

We got our birth certificates there and then as it was the full registry office.

You will probably get the information you need at the hospital, but you might not if you are not in for long after the birth.

You need to make an appointment at the register office after your baby is born, although procedures can vary at different offices. You can go to any register office, but you can only get the birth certificate immediately to take away if you go to the register office in the same local council as your hospital because then they will already have the details. Otherwise they will check and post the certificate to you.

Some friends of mine had to go to a register office miles away because none of the more local ones had an appointment for ages and they needed the birth certificate quickly to get a passport. We had to wait 8 weeks to register ds, even though I rang for an appointment the day after he was born!

As for (1), in my area (Oxfordshire) you can do that either at the hospital without an appointment before you are discharged (if you know the baby's name already) or at the register office with an appointment.

As for (2), you get given a short certificate when you register at the hospital free of charge. I am not sure about the long form but I know you can simply apply online and they send it to you.

Chaya - According to our council's website I need to make an appointment, and give them all the relevant info. They'll give me a short form for free, but I'd have to pay extra for a long form. I just wasn't clear on if the hospital gives me something that says XXXX XXXX was born on XXXX XXXX or if I just roll up at town hall and tell them (which doesn't seem very official!). Also, does the hospital give you the info then and there, or do they have to process it and send it to me by post, etc. And I then wasn't sure if they give me the BC at town hall while I'm there or send it to me. I guess every area is different though.

I've got to report the baby's birth to the embassy and I'd like to get both his passports sorted as soon as I can as we'd like to take him to meet my family soon. Just trying to figure out timelines.

I guess every place is different but I am sure the hospital will give you something to take to the Council. Maybe give the Council a call and ask. From reading the website for my area though it would seem that they only give you any sort of certificate at the hospital if you have the name already, which makes sense in some ways but then it also seems odd to just turn up at the Council claiming your baby was born in the country.

We are not British and in the same position - I have printed out all the passport and citizenship documentation already since I figured it will be the last thing I feel like doing once the baby is born.

You don't have to prove who you are as far as I remember. The hospital doesn't give you anything to take with you but they do notify the council of all births in the authority, that's why it's quicker if you register the birth in the same council district as the baby was born.